By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young | The Freedom Shield (FS) 2024 joint exercise concluded on March 14. The 11-day exercise, which began on March 4 and concluded on March 14, was based on exercise scenarios reflecting the changing threats and security situation, including lessons from recent wars, and assumed various situations, including a transition of war and all-out war, according to the United Nations Command (UNC). In particular, this year's exercise focused on multi-domain operations utilizing land, sea, air, cyber and space assets and neutralizing the North Korean nuclear threat. The R
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The UN Secretary-General on March 9 highlighted the urgent need for a negotiated political solution in Syria, emphasizing the protection of civilians and the dire humanitarian situation. March marks the thirteenth anniversary of the conflict in Syria, with systematic atrocities and untold suffering of civilians. According to UN estimates, 16.7 million people, equivalent to 70 per cent of the total population, will require humanitarian assistance in 2024. Roughly half the pre-war population remains displaced inside or outside Syria. Compounding the crisis, a ser
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The following article was contributed by Obid Khakimov, director of the Center for Economic Research and Reforms under the Administration of the Republic of Uzbekistan, to the Diplomacy Journal for publication via the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Seoul. –Ed. The dynamic growth of the population of Uzbekistan requires at least high outstripping economic growth rates in order to adequately meet the growing needs and improve the standard of living of people. But this requires new, more balanced and verified approaches to ensure timely achievement of the set goals. And
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young President Yoon Suk-yeol invited Ted Sarandos, co-CEO of Netflix, and actor Lee Jung-jae, who will appear in "Squid Game 2," to the presidential residence for a luncheon on Feb. 17. Sarandos shared the progress since the announcement of Netflix's investment in Korea last year, and President Yoon expressed gratitude for Netflix's rapid and substantial investments, requesting continued investment in K-content. During his state visit to the United States on April 24 last year, Sarandos announced plans to invest KRW 3.33 trillion (USD 2.5 billion) in Korea over th
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Seoul City Mayor Oh Se-hoon met with Saia Ma'u Piukala, the new Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Western Pacific, at his office on May 20, to share in-depth discussions on building a global healthy society. Piukala, formerly the Minister of Health of Tonga, took over as the Director of the WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific, one of the six WHO regional offices (Europe, Pan-America, Eastern Mediterranean, Africa, Western Pacific, and Southeast Asia) on February 1, and chose Korea as his first overseas visit.
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Global governance in its present form is entrenching divisions and fuelling discontent, UN Secretary-General António Guterres told world leaders attending the Munich Security Conference in Germany on Feb. 16, the UN News reported. “Our world is facing existential challenges, but the global community is more fragmented and divided than at any time during the past 75 years,” he said, highlighting the need for “a global order that works for everyone”. Mr. Guterres said if countries fulfilled their obligations under the UN Charter, every person on Earth would live
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Kim Eun-mee, the President of Ewha Womans University, has been appointed as a National Goodwill Ambassador for UN Women in the Republic of Korea, the UN Women announced on Feb. 5. Kim has been a trailblazer in the field of international development studies, dedicating her research efforts to advancing gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. During her tenure as a professor at various prestigious institutions, including the University of Southern California, Brown University, Harvard University, and Ewha Womans University, she has paid special at
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The following article was contributed by Akmal Saidov, academician, doctor of legal sciences, Member of the Union of Writers of Uzbekistan, to the Dipl;omacy Journal for publication via the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Korea.—Ed. "...(Alisher's) titles were written like this: "The guide, the highest point of honor and respect, the head of religion and statesmen, the strength of the leaders of the country and nation, the initiator of good deeds, the developer of charity institutions, the pillar of the kingdom, the ruler of kings Amir Alisher, the leader, the hope an
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The UN expert working to eliminate rape during wartime has been invited to Israel by the Government to gather information on sexual violence reportedly committed in the context of the 7 October Hamas attacks and their aftermath, the UN News reported on Jan. 25. Pramila Patten, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, will also visit the occupied West Bank, where she will meet with the Palestinian Authority, civil society organizations, recently released detainees and other relevant actors. The visit is set to start on J
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The following is the remarks of UN Secretary-General António Guterres at the meeting of the Global Counter-Terrorism Compact on Jan. 24, 2024. –Ed. Excellencies, Dear Colleagues, Dear Friends, Thank you for coming together here at the United Nations Headquarters. Now this building, and our organization, represent humanity’s highest ideals. Peace, dialogue, development, human rights and collaboration. Terrorism represents the polar opposite of these ideals. No one is immune from this global threat. Today’s meeting focuses on a clear and present danger to a conti
By Lee Kap-soo The following article was contributed by Madina Aripova, Chief Research Fellow at the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, to the Diplomacy Journal for publication via the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Seoul. –Ed. On January 23-25 of this year, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev will pay a state visit to the People's Republic of China, which, will undoubtedly be of high significance and will give a new impetus to the expansion and deepening of Uzbek-Chinese cooperation. At present, despite geopolitical
By Lee Kap-soo The following article was contributed by the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Seoul to the Diplomacy Journal for publication. –Ed. January 20, 2024 marks the 34th anniversary of the military invasion and killing of civilians in the city of Baku, Azerbaijan by the forces of the Soviet Army on January 20, 1990. In response to the rising national independence movement, the Soviet leadership ordered some 26000 troops with heavy military equipment to storm the city of Baku in an operation called “Strike”. The Soviet army sent to the country in order to forcefully suppress the mass protests o
By Lee Kap-soo South Korea's military strength is the fifth strongest in the world, according to a new report. North Korea, on the other hand, was ranked 36th. According to the '2024 Global Firepower' report released by the U.S. military power assessment organization Global Firepower (GFP) on Jan. 19, South Korea scored 0.1416 on the military power assessment index, ranking fifth among 145 countries surveyed. This is an improvement from last year's ranking (6th). South Korea's GFP military power ranking has steadily risen to ninth in 2013 and seventh in 2014, and has remained at sixth from 202
By Lee Jon-young In accordance with its domestic and national development objectives, Türkiye is just hours away from embarking on its maiden space mission. Getting ready for the mission as part of Türkiye's National Space Programme led by President Erdoğan, the country is locked on 19.01.2024 at 00.49 a.m. With the Dragon spacecraft, Türkiye will send its first astronaut, Alper Gezeravcı, to the International Space Station at 00:49 a.m. on the night of January 18 to January 19. Space travel is one of the technologies that Türkiye aspires to develop in the field of science and technology, and
By Kayla Lee The following article was contributed by Isomiddin Ismailov, Professor of the Department of the University of Public safety of the Republic of Uzbekistan; and Sanjar Sharipov, Head of the Department of the Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan Doctor of Philosophy in law sciences, associate professor, to the Diplomacy Journal for publication via the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Seoul. –Ed. Special attention is paid to ensuring a peaceful and tranquil life of the people, as well as creating a culture of law-abiding and public safety in society within